ridicules

Somnath temple seems to have become the main nucleus of Hindu politics of Gujarat where top leader of every political party s visiting to seek the blessings of Lord Somnath. Today the BJP chief Amit Shah revisited this historic temple under full media glare from where he had started his election campaign while the Congress Vice president Rahul Gandhi visited here on 29th November proving his full hindu credentials as the Janeu Dhari Brahmin. Prior to Rahul’s visit the prime minister Narendra Modi also visited here and sought the lord’s blessings.

The way Gujarat elections are being polarised on communal lines it seems the minority votes are of no or little relevance for Congress and BJP with the former already feeling assured of getting them while the latter not in need of them thinking they don’t even deserve them. It’s for the first time in any election tha the Nehru Gandhi Scion and the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi centred his election strategy on his regular visits to temple whenever and wherever he went to Gujarat giving an impression of his being a full hindu protagonist in belief.

He had even said in one of his public meetings that his forefathers and he were and are devout hindus and ardent SHIV BHAKTS but had never exploited it for political gains obviously pointing fingers to the BJP and its leaders who’d always been exploiting religion and spiritualism for narrow political gains. As the elections are nearing the politics of being a devout hindu apart from manipulating votes of OBCs, dalits and patidars from both the sides i.e. Congress and BJP has enhanced to the fullest with leaders of both these parties trying to prove themselves as the biggest hindu proponents and what surprises us the most is that Rahul Gandhu too is busy pronouncing him a JANEU DHAARI BRAHMIN representing a party that symbolises on pure secular values.

Meanwhile, the hardcore muslim leader from Hyderabad, a vociferous MP and a credible voice of the minorities in India OWAISI has in one of the public meetings attended by large number of minorities ridiculed and assailed the competition between Congress and BJP of trying to prove themselves on comparative grounds greater Hindu leaders to (than) each other by daily visiting temples and showing themselves as Janeu dhari brahmins. He ridiculed prime minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi both, vociferously saying that while the former is calling himself a greatest hindu and an OBC, the latter is showing his Janeu to prove his hindu brahmin credentials just to seek votes.

He said now in Gujarat Hindu competition has started and muslim is not being remembered, taking a full advantage of the situation. He added while we don’t have any problem when these hindu leaders and devotees go to temples but when a muslim goes for namaz in Mosque or dargah they say, see they are going for namaz. Though Owaisi is a Hydrabad based leader and an eloquent MP always being active on the issues of minorities and has nothing to do with the Gujarat election but he lost no opportunity to assail and ridicule Rahul Gandhi and PM Modi in his speech at Hyderabad on the issue of the BJP and the Congress leaders visiting the temples for seeking blessings of Gods.

Owaisi seems to allegedly turn this election on communal lines by asserting such words against the leaders of Congress and BJP visiting historic Somnath temple and offering prayers. The point is afterall what reason should a leader of any sect or party or ideology should have to speak against any leader visiting temples or Mosque to offer prayers of their respective religious faiths. Such speeches against any leader or sect by the leader of any community may amount to creating fissures and disturbances in the communal fabric of the country and should be avoided at all costs.
SUNIL NEGI